A new policy has arrived that has changed the game of baseball.  In an effort to make baseball calls more correct, managers are now allowed to challenge calls in a game.

During this year’s spring training season, commissioner Bud Selig put a new rule into effect for the 2014 season.  The rules are simple; managers are allowed to challenge one call made by an umpire.  Pausing the game, the umpires will then huddle up and watch the play on a tv screen over and over until reaching a decision.

This new rule is due to an uprising in the NFL over the past five years.  In that time baseball ratings have fallen, and football has gone through the roof.  Baseball relies on a human to make calls, and the NFL reviews all scoring plays.   Despite being an intended improvement to the game, the replay system has not been received well.

One of the complaints so far has been that the game is going to be even slower due to replay time-outs.  Now that managers can stop the game and request a challenge, pitchers are forced to stop and are thrown off of their strict routine, a very important aspect to their success on the mound.

Fans have their own opinion; senior T.J. Lochte is against the system and the way it is changing the game.

“I don’t like it”, said Lochte. “It takes the whole umpire aspect out of the game.”

The challenges have also raised some questions as to what is a catch and a transfer.  When watching a play over and over in slow motion, every possible detail can be seen.  This means that everyone now has their own definition of what a catch is.  Is it when the ball enters the glove, or does it have to hit the back of the glove?  The simple play has now become the most confusing play in baseball.

With a new system mistakes are expected to happen; the hope is that those mistakes are not too harmful to an outcome of a game.  Baseball prides itself on stats and history, and anything that could tarnish that is not taken lightly in fans’ eyes.

Some people have been very vocal against the replay system and its flaws.  Red Sox manager John Farrell had many derogatory comments for the system and stated that “it’s hard to have any faith in the replay system.”  After having a call overturned in favor of the Yankees, Farrell was not too pleased, according to ESPN.

The goal for the league should be longevity, and it seems like replays are going to be a permanent part of the game.  Senior Jake McDonnell agrees and says the importance of the system will grow during the playoffs.

“I think it’s here to stay,” said McDonnell.  “Later in the season, it will become important when the calls really matter.”

The good news is that the league is making this a work in progress.  The rules for the replay system are going to change by next season hopefully for the better.  One rule has already been altered, the “transfer” rule. Redefining what a complete catch is, the transfer rule, states that an out can be recorded despite a player dropping the ball in the act of throwing.  This is just one part of a large work in progress, but more improvements are expected in the near future.